The Talk
by MissFlutterPie
Summary: A perfectly normal apprentice is summoned to the clan leaders den to find out where her mentor is.


**Since my other story isn't going so well, I thought I'd upload this instead.**

"Breepaw, do you have a minute?"

Breepaw looked up to see Ivystar staring down at her and felt panic wash over her for a minute as she wondered what she had done to deserve the leader talking to her. But Ivystar looked happy and calm, and she twitched her whiskers at Amberspirit as the elder went past.

"Y-yes, Ivystar," Breepaw squeaked. "What is it?"

Ivystar purred. "Don't sound so scared of me! Come on to my den, we can talk about your mentor."

Breepaw followed her, trying to work out what the leader meant. Her mentor... Was something wrong with Foxshade? Was she hurt? She hadn't been in camp for days. Ivystar nudged her, bringing her out her thoughts. Breepaw slowly began to climb the Highledge, wondering how Ivystar managed the climb up every day.

When she reached the top, she was awed by the view. It stretched for miles, all over the camp. Breepaw could see Cherrydusk and Applepelt squabbling over a mouse, Sweetdawn taking her kits outside, and even Nutpaw and Clearpaw training together at the Sycamore tree.

"How far can you see?" Ivystar asked her quietly. Breepaw looked at her and she went on, "I've been watching you for a while, and you have remarkable eyesight."

"I thought we were here to talk about Foxshade." Breepaw didn't tell her how far she could see. She just wanted to know where Foxshade was.

"Oh, um, right. I'll tell you. You see, Breepaw, I'm sure you have heard about the Dark Forest battle." Ivystar began. "In which the Dark Forest visited cats, I among them, and told them they could be great. They visited Breezepelt, who's father had taken Leafpool as his mate and gotten her pregnant, they visited me, who's sister was destined for greatness, they told them they could be great and powerful.

"It was a lie.

"I became a spy for Jayfeather and told them everything I could about the techniques and plans. It was a risky job, but I loved it, secretly knowing I was key to the salvation of the Clans..." For a minute, Ivystar seemed to look back at her young self. "Then, they killed Antpelt, and it turned into a nightmare. I was forced to kill him again in the nightly battles, he had turned so wicked and twisted."

Breepaw gasped.

"I know it's shocking, Breepaw, but it's true. They also killed Beetlewhisker for wanting to leave and threatened Applefur. But, I'll go on. The Three recieved a prophecy that there was a Fourth and if they didn't find them, we would all die.

"The Fourth turned out to be Firestar, the Flame of Destiny, the Chosen One, the Saviour, the Flame of Wrath, the Fire of Protection, whatever you wanted to call him." Ivystar looked at her.

"Foxshade used to call him the Fire of Salvation," Breepaw whispered.

"So, the Dark Forest came, and it was a hard battle they fought. Many cats were killed in the process, but we beat the Dark Forest and came out, bloody and bruised, but triumphant. But Tigerstar lived, and Firestar was forced to fight him in a battle killing him and Tigerstar."

Ivystar stood up and went over to the moss and pulled some out with her claws. There was silence for serveral minutes until Breepaw coughed gently.

"Sorry, Breepaw, I'll continue with the story," Ivystar said in an embarrassed voice. "So, Bramblestar, son of Tigerstar became leader, and in the rain that washed away the blood, the mourning cats cheered the new leader on.

"But there was still trouble. Cinderstrike, a ShadowClan cat, was daughter of Dawnpelt and Antpelt, a dead cat. She revolted against her leaders and opened the gate to the Dark Forest, allowing them to pour through and begin another war.

"Bramblestar died in that war, and so did many others, including my sister. But we won, and Cinderstrike was lead up to all the Clans at the next Gathering. I can remember it so well... 'Banish her!' WindClan said. 'Kill her!' RiverClan said. 'Drown her!' ThunderClan said. It was terrible. All four Clans, united in hatred for the shivering cat. It was pitiful, to see her look terrified. 'Torture,' Blackstar decided, and dragged her onto a rock jutting out. There, he cut open her belly and destroyed her, and she screamed the whole time."

Breepaw shuddered.

"Eventually, I felt pity for her. She was covered in blood and barely breathing, but I leapt down and dealt her a killing blow, ending her torture." Ivystar seemed to look back to the day she had been describing, and shuddered.

"What happened then?" Breepaw asked, not sure if she wanted to hear it. The story was so sad and horrible. "Ivystar?"

"Let's get some fresh kill and I'll tell you on the way," Ivystar replied, not looking at Breepaw. "There isn't much left."

Ivystar slowly climbed down the Highledge, and after a moment, Breepaw followed her, curious as to why Ivystar wasn't looking at her.

"So," Ivystars voice floated up from further down the ledge. "We lived in peace after that for many moons, feeling that there were no enemies left to conquer, we had done all we could.

"Kits were born and grew up, complaining of cats in their dreams. By then, I was the only cat alive who remembered the Dark Forest and rounded them all up. Blackstar and Mistystar, Onestar, the Three, they were all gone, along with every other cat who fought in the war.

"I asked them to explain their dreams, and to my horror, my grandkit, Petalpaw, stepped forwards. She said she was dreaming of cats who disappeared when they died, a great battle and a fiery cat. Then, she stopped talking, as if, not that there was nothing else to the dream, as if she didn't want to go on."

Breepaws eyes widened. "Oh my StarClan!" she breathed. "But I still don't get what this has to do with Foxshade."

"I was forced to kill them, for the good of the Clans and every cat in them. They cried and screamed, but I blocked my ears and killed them quicker. It was awful, I've never seen anything like it, but I prepared myself for more. There was none, so I assumed the Dark Forest had given up.

"Then, Foxshade, still an apprentice, came to me three moons later, and told me she'd had the dreams. I kept an eye out on her. She seemed to shake them off, is I gave her you, as an apprentice. You were a little kit, but I thought an apprentice would help her fully get rid of her dreams.

"I was wrong."

Breepaw's heart slowed. She didn't want to hear this, she didn't want to hear this,vshe didn't want to hear this...

"Three days ago, Foxshade tried to kill me. She had still been having the dreams, but had succumbed to the brain washing. We fought. Eventually, she bet me and pinned me to the ground, but I wasn't finished yet. I flung myself up and scratched her throat, and she died."

She knows, Breepaw realised.

"Since then, I've been keeping an eye out for more traitors the Clans had," Ivystar finished. "Now you know what happened, so you can help me look out for more cats having dreams about the Dark Forest and help me stop the cat."

Breepaw took a step back. Ivystar snarled.

**Does anybody get the ending? Should I write a story about Cinderstrike? Review if you think I should!**


End file.
